*sigh* Do we really still have to go through this? Fragmentation is a myth. It's a non-issue drummed up to malign Android. There is zero evidence that this alleged "fragmentation" is causing problems...

So if there is no fragmentation then I can take any Android app from a current release Android device and it will run on any other Android device? So those articles Ive about developers not supporting certain *new* devices and *new* devices not getting the latest version of Android are all false?

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

I don’t think he plans to be using that username for long. He’s not even trying anymore… he’s just trying.

It seems people have a problem with my username for no reason. And I really don't know why. Is it not good enough for you? When people start judging you based on how creative your username is, that's just sad.

Don't you love how the pricing relation is against the iPad v1? When iPad 2 hits the market with more ram and speed, then what?

I don't think the Xoom will be DoA, but I do think it will not sell near as many units as iPads. I'm curious as to how all this competition will play out.

Well, it wouldn't quite be right to compare it to a product that, officially speaking, doesn't even exist.

Yes, I'm pretty sure iPad 2 will leaprog the Xoom. Then the Xoom 2 will leapfrog the iPad 2...

I do like the fact that the Xoom's UI is designed to take advantage of all the space. The iPad's apps do this pretty well, but the homescreen is stuck in iPod mode. Instead of 16 apps (iPhone) you get 24! That's not really a big advantage... iOS 5 better come up with some better use of homepage/notifications...

Interesting to note how Moto bad mouthed the ipad by calling it a giant iphone, then build something comparable and proclaim it's difference... If that's not a RDF then what is? Perhaps delusional is better suited to this effort by Motorola.

This whole chart seems wrong to me. There are 292.8 million mobile phone subscribers in the United States, but 308.7 million Americans in the United States.

(Didn't want to include the link, due to TOS)

There are also about 53.9 million kids, 12 years or younger, which would be a good guess as to when kids start getting phones.

Just saying......

You lost me. What about the chart looks wrong? The numbers you mentioned seem accurate to me but I don’t know what that has to do with the population of the US or the chart’s subscriber numbers from the top four MNOs.

Dick Applebaum on whether the iPad is a personal computer: "BTW, I am posting this from my iPad pc while sitting on the throne... personal enough for you?"

The pricing seems ok to me. You pay a little more but you much better specs.

Two things to watch. One, how Android deals handles the faster hardware (i.e. does it actually perform twice as quick as the iPad inline with the specs) and two, the release of iPad 2 (which could totally change the value for money aspect of the xoom).

Interesting to note how Moto bad mouthed the ipad by calling it a giant iphone, then build something comparable and proclaim it's difference... If that's not a RDF then what is? Perhaps delusional is better suited to this effort by Motorola.

The thing is that while the iPad isn't really like an iPhone, it really does look like one. The homescreen is virtually the same and at first glance, you would think it was in fact a giant-iPhone.

While the Xoom is like the iPad in many respects, I really do like how they did the menu by actually making it suitable for a tablet to not make it look like a phone. I hope Apple does the same. It would really make it stand out even more from the iPhone.

The thing is that while the iPad isn't really like an iPhone, it really does look like one. The homescreen is virtually the same and at first glance, you would think it was in fact a giant-iPhone.

While the Xoom is like the iPad in many respects, I really do like how they did the menu by actually making it suitable for a tablet to not make it look like a phone. I hope Apple does the same. It would really make it stand out even more from the iPhone.

For good reason, Apple is going for a standardized interface across it's product line. It's called ease of use... Note the advertising "if you know how to use iphone then you know how to use ipad" (not exact words but you get the meaning). People see it as familiar, there's no learning curve. It's good that the Xoom is different visually - it has to be, of course - and perhaps it has features that are in some ways easier to use and more visually appealing to the ipad, I haven't played with one so I don't know. I hope they make it work well and sell some of them to keep Apple on their toes.

I completely agree that they should have a lot of consistency between iPhone and iPad. However, if they want people to stop thinking of an iPad as simply a giant iPhone, maybe it would be best if they didn't make it look like one when you first turn it on. What really irks me is how the icons are so spaced out on the homescreen like they didn't want to make use of the screen space. Because that truly does make it look like an oversized phone.

Well, it wouldn't quite be right to compare it to a product that, officially speaking, doesn't even exist.

Yes, I'm pretty sure iPad 2 will leaprog the Xoom. Then the Xoom 2 will leapfrog the iPad 2...

I do like the fact that the Xoom's UI is designed to take advantage of all the space. The iPad's apps do this pretty well, but the homescreen is stuck in iPod mode. Instead of 16 apps (iPhone) you get 24! That's not really a big advantage... iOS 5 better come up with some better use of homepage/notifications...

Cannot argue with any points in your post and I also agree with the "... better used of homepage ..." comment. Apple could do so many great things with the UI that I don't think would make life too difficult for the naive iPad users.

I'm curious to see what Apple does with OSX "Lion" and future versions of iOS.

Why don't we get a pool going to guess when the Xoom will actually be released.

If this thing is supposed to ship on February 14th then that pretty much means that it's being manufactured as we speak... yet, to the best of my knowledge, Rubin hasn't even completed Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).

I'm guessing May or June before this thing gets out the door... otherwise how can they get the bugs out of this thing if the OS hasn't even been finalized?

This thing is just being rushed out the door too fast.

Good luck with that Motorola. [why doesn't Apple buy Moto Mobility?... I actually got the feeling that Moto chopped itself in half for the specific reason of selling one of the 2 divisions.]

*sigh* Do we really still have to go through this? Fragmentation is a myth. It's a non-issue drummed up to malign Android. There is zero evidence that this alleged "fragmentation" is causing problems -- Android is neck-and-neck with iOS in terms of total devices shipped, new devices activated, etc.
?

Apparently you have never written android code. Fragmentation is real.

*sigh* Do we really still have to go through this? Fragmentation is a myth. It's a non-issue drummed up to malign Android. There is zero evidence that this alleged "fragmentation" is causing problems -- Android is neck-and-neck with iOS in terms of total devices shipped, new devices activated, etc.

Apparently we do. It is a significant issue for developers, and several of the leading Android devs report having to do QA on over 100 HW/SW pair variants because they are different enough to cause differing application behavior. Thus there are a significant number of apps that aren't always compatible with all versions on release. THAT is the DEFINITION of fragmentation!

If this thing is supposed to ship on February 14th then that pretty much means that it's being manufactured as we speak... yet, to the best of my knowledge, Rubin hasn't even completed Android 3.0 (Honeycomb).

I would hope they are in production if they are shipping 2/14. The lunar new year starts 2/3 and means no manufacturing for two weeks.

I guess they can't keep costs down. Apple hogging up all the components supplies is paying off..

I think Apple sells so many that manufacturers give them discounts. Whereas there would live to be like 200 or 300 andoid tables out in order for it to just barely even compete and those will be all different versions of Honeycomb supporting different things. The beauty of the PC was the fact that even with multiple hardware vendors, you still got the same experience. For an end user that's important. At $799 bucks is rather expensive for a product that's not aimed at the high end market.

Well, it wouldn't quite be right to compare it to a product that, officially speaking, doesn't even exist.

Yes, I'm pretty sure iPad 2 will leaprog the Xoom. Then the Xoom 2 will leapfrog the iPad 2...

I do like the fact that the Xoom's UI is designed to take advantage of all the space. The iPad's apps do this pretty well, but the homescreen is stuck in iPod mode. Instead of 16 apps (iPhone) you get 24! That's not really a big advantage... iOS 5 better come up with some better use of homepage/notifications...

Excellently spoken. I too wish for a better 'home' page. More notifications. Unfortunately, and I'm new to these rumor sites, from what I've heard about the new iOS 'build', we can't even expect the new swiping controls. It may be a looooong while before we see something good.

It`s only $70 more than the closest comparable iPad with what seems to be superior specs and abilities.

How many people are buying the highest end iPad? My guess is the $499 16GB/wifi-only model is most popular based on what my friends/family have bought. No way of knowing for sure since Apple doesn't release exact sales figures.

I think Apple sells so many that manufacturers give them discounts. Whereas there would live to be like 200 or 300 andoid tables out in order for it to just barely even compete and those will be all different versions of Honeycomb supporting different things. The beauty of the PC was the fact that even with multiple hardware vendors, you still got the same experience. For an end user that's important. At $799 bucks is rather expensive for a product that's not aimed at the high end market.

It's the 'un-tapped' potential that worries me. I really does look futuristic. It's what we thought we would be doing ten years ago.

How many people are buying the highest end iPad? My guess is the $499 16GB/wifi-only model is most popular based on what my friends/family have bought. No way of knowing for sure since Apple doesn't release exact sales figures.

Seriously? I have the 64G WiFi model. I was very dissapointed when they only introduced it with 64G. I had that on the iPod touch. I would gladly pay $1,500+ for the best iPad. I have enough contracts out there already.

iPad2, iPad2... Retina, or close display. So far no one has brought up the fact of the storage capacity to offset the increased display resolution. There would have to be a jump in storage. Maybe topping 128? Every picture would take up 4X the space. So now you have a cost increase on the panel, but to retain the same user experience you need to upgrade the storage at the same price point...

Maybe I figured it wrong. I don't have the knowledge you guys do, but it seems to make sense.

I do think Honeycomb will win out in the end. Just because of its' nature. The iPad appeals to everyone. It offers the same experience to a 90 year old as it does to t 10 year old. Being simplistic could be iOS's biggest downfall.

If only we could combine iOS with Honeycomb and W7... Honestly, who here would hate having extra options? ...along with updated panels/icons?